http://www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/news/6933
It has been an exciting week! On Tuesday and Wednesday I was part of the launch events for the BIFM Channel Islands Branch in Jersey and Guernsey.
Between the two events we saw around 100 people who are involved in some way in the facilities manage-ment profession. The feedback of the launch events was really positive, many people saying how long they had been waiting for something like this in the Islands.
It was exciting to hear from Gareth Tancred, the CEO of the BIFM about what facilities management is all about, what the BIFM does and wants to do and the aspirations for the institute over the next three years! This was followed by a talk from Linda Hausmanis, the Head of Awarding Organisation at the BIFM, explaining the progress of the range professional qualifications in facilities management and how there is a significant focus on making facilities management a 'career of choice'.
I opened it and started to skim through to see what had been included, wondering if anything about the Channel Island Launch had already been included. I was surprised to see, on page 15, the 'Five minutes with' article was about our Deputy Chair of the branch, Darren Etasse. I had a quick read and then my eyes flicked to the other side of the page where the 'best of the FMWorld blogs' showed two blog posts related to facilities management.....one of them was MINE!! Wow! I couldn't believe it - my hope was that one day I would have something of mine published in an industry publication but hadn't expected this. To those of you who follow me on Twitter or who are friends of mine on Facebook, I apologise if I was a little over-excited!!!!! (I was over-excited!).
I want to make a difference to this industry, to the way it is viewed and the recognition owed to so many people.
Gareth Tancred, in his presentation at the launch events, noted that the facilities management industry's percentage contribution to the UK economy was almost the same as that of the financial services industry. It makes sense - as he also said....every building has to have a facilities manager. How else does it run? Every school, hospital, museum, office, medical centre, old people's residence, police station, business premises, shopping centre (any building) has to be 'run' - is maintained, fixed, looked after - the invisible job....it's done by people just like you and me!
As the BIFM continues to encourage facilities management as a 'career of choice' let us, those of us in the facilities management profession, give ourselves the credit we deserve. Recognise yourself as being in a worthwhile professional role....and, as we do that it will increase the value of what we do. It will encourage younger people to realise it is a professional job, something they might aspire to become. It may be that the majority of facilities managers have 'fallen' into the job or developed the role but let's stop that happening to others - let's make it a chosen career for others!
